


Ella and the Angel

by CactusPot



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Christmas, First Meetings, Gen, Short One Shot, Slice of Life, TDWriMo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28115196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CactusPot/pseuds/CactusPot
Summary: She stomped merrily to the wreath section. Sure enough, various figurines lined the shelves. Ella hummed as she perused the selection of snowmen, shepherds, and Santas."At last," Ella narrated when her gaze settled on an angel statue on the top shelf, "the princess found her holy grail."~~~Once upon a time, Ella embarked on a simple quest and ended up with more than she bargained for.
Kudos: 4





	Ella and the Angel

_Once upon a time_ , Ella thought as she stepped out of her car, _there was a lovely princess who went on a grand adventure to retrieve an important object_. She wrapped her pink winter coat tighter around her, double-checked the car doors were locked, and set off.

The snow had started a half-hour ago, and already a thin layer of snow coated the shopping center’s parking lot. What a winter wonderland! Ella smiled at the falling flakes settled into her dark hair. She couldn’t see herself, but she imagined she looked something like a snow princess.

The sliding doors opened before her like guards yielding to royalty, and Ella stepped into the lobby of the local arts-and-crafts store.

 _The first obstacle of the princess’s quest was the rows and rows of Christmas decor_. Because it was that time of the year: half of the store was covered in reds and greens, silvers and golds.

“Oh it looks so beautiful,” Ella murmured to herself. If only she could buy the entire stock. Too bad she didn’t have the space or the money.

Instead, Ella went looking for a red-smocked employee. “Excuse me, good sir, could you direct me to the figurine section?”

He shrugged. “Probably in the back, near the wreaths. If you pass the candles you’ve gone too far.”

Ella flashed him a gracious smile. “Thank you! Happy holidays!”

“Happy holidays, miss.”

Her heavy winter boots prevented Ella from skipping. Instead, she stomped merrily to the wreath section. Sure enough, various figurines lined the shelves. Ella hummed as she perused the selection of snowmen, shepherds, and Santas.

 _At last_ , Ella narrated when her gaze settled on an angel statue on the top shelf, _the princess found her holy grail_.

She stood up on her tippy toes and pulled down the angel. It smelled vaguely of sap and pine. Tiny wire wings were glued to its carved wooden body, and a teensy-weensy smile sat on its face.

“It’s _perfect_ ,” Ella declared.

To the check-out line, she went. Various candies lined the aisle, and Ella impulsively grabbed a box of Christmas chocolates. She’d surprise her parents with them.

The line was long, so Ella bounced on her soles as she waited. She looked around. The brawny Black man in front of her was also dressed in pink, albeit several shades darker than the bubblegum pink Ella usually wore. In his arms, he cradled yards of garlands, ribbons, and lights.

 _The princess decided to make a friend_. Ella tapped on the man’s bicep.

“Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but notice what nice decorations you have!” she remarked, pointing at his garlands.

The man chuckled. “Thanks. My girlfriend and I are throwing a holiday bash at her apartment, and she put me in charge of decorating.”

“I think you’re doing an excellent job,” Ella said sincerely.

The line moved up. “Good to hear. My gal can be kinda, er, picky. If you like this stuff, hopefully she’ll dig it, too.”

“The key to decorating apartments is maximizing your space.” Ella knew from experience; all her stuffed animals were arranged just so for this very reason. “If you don’t, it’ll look cluttered.”

The man rubbed his chiseled chin. “I’ll keep that in mind. You some sort of interior designer or something?”

Ella giggled. “Goodness, no! I’ve just picked up a thing or two over the years.”

“Gotcha.” He smiled back before nodding at the angel in Ella’s arms. “What’s the story behind that little guy?”

“Oh!” Ella adjusted her grip so her companion could get a better view. “The angel in my family’s nativity scene broke, so I came to buy a replacement.”

“Ah. Nativity scenes are the mini barns with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus, right?”

“Yes, indeed!” Ella nodded. “My family has used the same one since I was a baby, but I guess Gabriel finally gave out.” She laughed.

“That sucks,” the man said. “At least you got the replacement.”

“Next!” called a cashier.

He nodded at her. “Nice talkin’ to you.”

“You as well!” Ella chirped. She always enjoyed meeting new people. 

Soon it was her turn to pay. After she did, Ella wished the cashier a merry Christmas and left the store. The snow hadn’t stopped, though the accumulated white fluff in the parking lot had turned to slush.

Humming a cheerful tune, Ella hopped into the car and turned on the engine. Her priority was connecting her phone to the car speakers and selecting a song from her playlist. From there, Ella’s humming evolved into warbling, and she joyfully sang along to the music.

She reversed the car and struck her foot against the gas pedal.

“ _Oh there’s no place like home for_ —” _Thump_.

Both the car and Ella’s stomach dropped. She looked at the mirror.

“Oh dear.” She’d backed up too far; the rear of her parents’ car now sat halfway down a ditch.

 _On the return journey, the princess’s noble steed fell into a ravine_. Ella put the car in drive and accelerated; the back wheels rumbled uselessly against the incline and slush.

Her heart rate quickened and her gloved grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Don’t. Get. Upset,” she told herself sharply. It was unbecoming of a princess to have a meltdown in the middle of a parking lot.

She killed the engine, got out of the car, and dialed her father’s number. The call went straight to voicemail, as did Ella’s call to her mother’s phone.

“I suppose they’re busy,” Ella told herself, blinking back tears. Perhaps she could push the car out of the ditch? It wasn’t a deep ditch, after all; the main problem was the snow.

Ella got into position, placing her hands right above the license plate.

“ _I’m about to push, please wish me luck_!” Ella sing-songed. “ _I’d like to get the car unstuck_.”

Then she pushed with all her might. The car didn’t budge. And no matter how she repositioned her hands, the car stayed put.

“Get _out_ ,” Ella pleaded, frustration creeping into her voice. “Please get out, car!” The princess had _not_ been prepared for this obstacle. And frankly, she wasn’t feeling very princess-like right now.

“Need a hand?”

Ella, who had been seconds away from kicking the car, looked up. The man from the store stood over her, a shopping bag in one hand. His face was warm with sympathy, and Ella’s flooded with relief.

“Yes, please!” she said. “I’m afraid I was a bit _distracted_ when I was backing out.” Music did that to her sometimes.

The man extended a hand. Ella took it, and he helped her out of the ditch.

“I get ya. My favorite workout podcasts do that to me.” He handed his shopping bag to Ella. “Watch these for me?”

“Of course.” Ella watched as he took her place behind the car. The man grunted as he hooked his arms under the car and pushed. The car shuddered. Finally, it yielded to the pressure. Ella clapped as he lifted the car’s rear and pushed it towards the pavement. Once all four tires were on the gravel, the man dusted off his hands and rejoined Ella beside the car.

With a relieved grin, Ella returned his shopping bag to him. “Thank you _so_ much. I don’t know how I can repay you, Mr…”

“Call me Ryan,” he supplied. “I didn’t catch your name, either.”

“Ella.”

“Nice to officially meet you.” Ryan smiled at her. “Anyways, don’t worry about thankin’ me. I’m happy to help. I’ll take any chance to flex my muscles, to be honest.” He chuckled.

“Still, that was a heroic effort.” An idea popped into Ella’s head. She darted back to the car and retrieved the Christmas chocolates from the driver’s seat.

“Here you go.” She presented the chocolates to Ryan. “You and your girlfriend can share these, or perhaps serve them at your party!”

“Nah, nah.” Ryan rubbed the back of his head. “Those are your chocolates, Ella.”

“I insist!” Ella drummed her fingers on the bottom of the box. “It’s in the spirit of Christmas. Plus, I won’t let you leave until you take these.”

“Aw, if you’re sure about it.” Ryan accepted the chocolates and tucked them under his beefy arm. “Thanks, Ella.”

“My pleasure,” she chirped.

“Are you good gettin’ home?” Ryan asked.

“I promise I won’t drive into any more ditches,” Ella said with a light-hearted laugh.

“Cool. In that case, I’ll see you around, Ella.” Ryan began walking away. He waved as he left. “Take care. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” Ella returned the gesture with a wave of her own.

She returned to the car and turned on the engine again. Then, she buckled a seatbelt around the angel that sat in the passenger seat. This time, Ella kept the music off. She could sing when she was home safe.

“And so the princess was rescued by a knight in shining armor,” Ella said as she carefully drove through the parking lot. “They didn’t get married, but she sent him off with a handsome reward. And they all lived happily ever after.

“The end.”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for TD Writers' Month; prompt was: write for two characters you've never written before. When I decided to do this prompt, my first instinct was to pick Ella. And though I wasn't initially sure who to pair with her, my mind kept returning to Ryan. Whipped up this lil' one shot in about two hours, which is a personal record, I think.
> 
> Also, I think the title is cheesy, but it sounds like a little kid's storybook and that's Ella's gimmick, so whatever.


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